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Why is Erie County Executive Chris Collins parking his appropriately named Buick “Enclave” in a handicapped spot before a parade in which he marched (at the front) last weekend? Has the county’s CEO suddenly become afflicted with some crippling disability that affects his mobility?

Chris Collins: It's his county, it's his handicapped spot!

UPDATE: For some reason, some of you need MORE PROOF AND MORE ANGLES AND WHATNOT.

MOAR ANGLEZ!

EVEN MOAR!

(All images can be clicked to be enlarged and determine whether they’re real or ZOMG FAKED!)

As to the picture itself, my tipster informs me that these photos were taken before the Akron/Newstead parade. The only other vehicles in that entire lot were in the parade. Everyone else was told to park somewhere off the parade route. His Royal Highness the Prince of Spaulding parked in this handicapped spot about 50 feet from the parade start.

See, this is where you undo a lot of good opinion pieces that have some validity to them. The handicap spots are there for ease of access to the school. The school itself wasn’t being used, the parking lot was (the school likely wasn’t even open). So it doesn’t matter where he was parked. In fact, from the photo, it looks like he’s parked further away from the staging area than other cars. Are there more photos?

My wife Val has a handicapped parking permit/mirror hanger, so I am not only offended, I am infuriated and insulted by this pathetic act by Collins.

Derek – Really? Handicapped parking is not only there for the use of handicapped people with the proper parking permit because of distance, it is because they provide extra space for people needing to unload their wheelchairs and walkers using ramps, or just their arms and legs. Val uses a cane most of the time, but she has a walker she uses a decent amount of the time, and if there were people parked next to her in a regular lot because a space like this was taken by someone without a handicap, she would have one hell of a time getting the walker out of her car.

The handicapped parking spots are also placed near curb cuts so people in wheelchairs and using walkers can navigate the curb without additional difficulty.

The photo appears to have been taken at the Court Street School, where there is plenty of regular parking barely steps away from this handicapped spot.

Sorry, not going to get worked up over this. You could say if he was smarter he wouldn’t be caught in such a position by an partisan with a camera looking for just such an opportunity, but the school parking lot was the staging area for the parade. From past experience marching from that exact spot, it’s likely the lot was closed except for parade participants. Show us other photos for context. Wider angle shot of the whole parking lot? Who was the photographer? Are they on a plane to Florida today?

There probably wasn’t enough parking spots and would have to park off site or use the handicapped site. Unfortunately, if a handicapped person were to need to be in the staging area, they would be out of luck.

I hope you and Mr. Collins never have to get worked up over this like I am, Derek. And it doesn’t matter if this was only for parade participants; there were handicapped participants in the Cheektowaga Independence Day parade I marched in in Cheektowaga Monday, including a woman in a wheelchair in the unit directly behind mine, as well as several veterans in the parade. They need, deserve and qualify to park there, not Mr. Collins.

This is what happens when Collins decides to venture outside the locked gates of Spaulding Lake and locked doors of the 16th floor of the Rath Building. His true nature is on full display for all to see. So, in the course of just a few hours he was able to disrespect our veterans and well as those with disabilities. Give it a couple more hours and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we started to hear reports he made sexist comments to some unsuspecting woman in red, white & blue short shorts…with promises to share his stolen spot at the beginning of a parade in exchange for a lap dance!

Most of you are missing the point. It’s not that I’m insensitive to people with disabilities or the laws surrounding parking, it’s that the parking lot is not being used for it’s normal purpose. The handicap spaces are where they are due to proximity to the school, not the proximity to the parade route. Perhaps handicapped people were allowed to park in a spot closer to where they needed to be in the parade?

Also, I don’t believe the photo was taken at the Lancaster parade. There are no houses that close to the Court Street school parking lot, and the Exif data on the photo says it was taken at 4:29pm, long after Collins would have been done with the Lancaster parade if he started walking the route before the parade started at 2pm. So where was this photo taken?

As to the picture itself, my tipster informs me that these photos were taken before the Akron/Newstead parade. The only other vehicles in that entire lot were in the parade. Everyone else was told to park somewhere off the parade route. His Royal Highness the Prince of Spaulding parked in this handicapped spot about 50 feet from the parade start.

Aside from the fact that, as a non-handicapped person, Chris Collins has absolutely no business whatsoever using a handicapped spot under any circumstances, in any way, at any time, regardless of whether the school or lot were “open”, he clearly set himself apart and used a different set of rules at the Akron/Newstead parade than just about everyone else there.

I didn’t think it was faked, I just noted that Grant Loomis apparently claimed it was. It would be easy to PhotoShop such a picture wouldn’t it? But per the Update Alan’s tipster said he/she took it at the Akron/Newstead parade, so OK.

Still not buying DJP’s claim that a handicapped parking space is fair game if the closest building to it is closed but whatever.

Reserved parking for people with disabilities ensures safe and equal access to goods and services, access which most of us take for granted. This publication explains the rules that businesses and all drivers should observe about reserved parking spaces. It also presents information on how to obtain license plates and parking permits that allow individuals with severe disabilities to use specially-marked parking spots.
Reserved parking for people with disabilities is a legal requirement, not just a courtesy. You can help support the law by parking in reserved spaces only if you have a permit or plates for people with disabilities, and only when the person who received the permit or plates is actually in the vehicle. Please avoid parking in the access aisle or striped area next to a reserved parking space – it is not a parking zone. This special area is needed for access by people who use wheelchairs and specially-equipped vehicles.
It is important to respect each other. Please, be parking considerate.

New York State V&TL 1203-b:

2. It shall be a violation for any person to stop, stand or park a vehicle in any area designated as a place for handicapped parking unless the vehicle bears a permit issued under section one thousand two hundred three-a or a registration issued under section four hundred four-a of this chapter and such vehicle is being used for the transportation of a severely disabled or handicapped person. This subdivision shall not apply to a violation of section twelve hundred three-c of this chapter.

I was there and saw Collins and his car parked. There were spots that were not handicapped that were a little farther away. He didn’t need to park there. No one else did except for him and one handicapped car. He thinks he special and the rules don’t apply to him. He’s got to go- he’s doing nothing for the people of Erie County.

Thanks for posting the additional info, Alan. I’m familiar with the Lancaster parade and the Court Street school staging area, in which I would stand by my argument – the lot is small and not used for public parking, and the staging area is along the long driveway in which the handicapped spots are actually far away from much of. I’m not familiar with Akron/Newstead’s parade or how theirs works or where people are told to park. If the spots were being used/reserved for handicapped people, then he absolutely should have been following the rules and not playing a trump card of his own making (as we would expect of any politician).

Running government like a business. The big boss always gets the closest parking spot because he runs the show, while the rest of you are nothing but cogs in the machine. This is not surprising at all, which is sad in itself. First he disrespects veterans and firefighters in Lancaster, now he dumps on the handicapped in Akron. This is not a man who should be representing the great citizens of Erie County.

@30 – Oh come on, there are probably 20 VTL sections that are “violated” during the course of any parade or special event. Are you going to ticket the giant slide operator during a town carnival if it’s set up in a parking lot across handicap spaces? Lot closed = rules suspended.

grant loomis didn’t say the photo was fake- I SAID grant loomis said the photo was fake! I mean, that’s what he’d likely say when confronted with the pics. Why would the photog be called a partisan for taking the picture? maybe they were rightfully pissed off to see the arrogant bastard deprive a handicapped person a parking place?

I was in the Newstead parade. I was there when everyone around the beginning of the parade was talking about Collins car in the handicapped spot. I also know that several people took pictures of it. I, like everyone else, parked my car where I was told to, off the parade route. Actually, I parked it at the end of the route and walked back to the beginning so I wouldn’t have to backtrack and our group could get right in and head to the next stop.

One of the reasons people who don’t deserve it give for parking illegally in handicapped spaces is that it affords their vehicle greater distance from cars parking adjacent to it. So just like the morons that park across two spaces to protect their paint, perhaps Collins parked this way to spare his Enclave contact with the common people.

What a dumb thing to do. I worked on a race during the last cycle, we always had our candidate dropped off and picked up at the staging ground, it avoids having his car take up valuable space from other people and it avoids P.R. fiascoes like this one.

This post is beyond really stupid. It appears that regardless of where Collins parked, there was absolutely no chance a handicapped person would have had access to the spot at that time. The point of the blog post is moot.

Calling a post based on what “appears”, without knowing – and after I had updated the post with more detail about where non-handicapped marchers in the parade were supposed to park, is what’s “beyond really stupid”.

No, Mike, it isn’t moot. I know you libertarians think the Disability Act is a big joke and a horrible violation of your natural rights under Ayn Rand, but Collins’ behavior demonstrates ignorance (at best) and arrogance (at worst). Either way, it was a dumb thing to do and says more about Collins as a person than any TV commercial will.

Ok. So we already knew that CC is an arrogant SOB, and this little tidbit reaffirms the already known known. True, it is a bit petty, but THAT is exactly the niche that blogs such as this fill in the political reportage spectrum. So I will be the last to criticize BP for exposing the continuum of CC’s arrogance. It fills in well with the Buff News piece on CC’s arrogant tendencies.

That said, these little items will not defeat CC in November. Ultimately, it is not what will persuade voters to pull the lever for MP. Voters don’t necessarily punish arrogance if the SOB is perceived to be doing the job he was elected to do.

MP must both expose real CC shortcomings (how about the poor state of heavily traveled county roads such as Colvin Blvd in my hometown of Tonawanda?) and offer realistic solutions to those problems, such as actually using hoarded stimulus moneys to repair crumbling infrastructure and provide jobs to local workers.

Punaro is right, but you folks sure have fun getting worked up. If you represented the County Executive’s core constituency, he would be in trouble. You don’t. You better come with some better game if you intend to get Poloncarz elected. Excellent idea, King Kong, but no one but Collins drives Collins.

Of all the bullshit excuses for Collins in this thread my favorite is “Lot closed = rules suspended”. That’s right, the lot was closed. Collins had his car helicopter-dropped like in that Lexus commercial.

Alan, you haven’t provided any information that substantiates that a handicapped person was denied handicapped parking because of the location of Collins’ vehicle. The photo shows at least 4 more handicapped parking spaces, 2 of which are clearly vacant. You have not demonstrated any harm to any individual, only extremely weak speculation.

Perhaps you should have prefaced your remarks with a disclaimer that you are a rabid supporter of Mark Polancarz. At least make a case for him on the merits instead of trashing his opponent with BS. Your blog post is about as credible as elements of the Corwin campaign, which you rightfully and virulently derided.

Alan, you haven’t provided any information that substantiates that a handicapped person was denied handicapped parking because of the location of Collins’ vehicle.

I don’t need to. The statute doesn’t say “able-bodied people may not park in handicapped spots, unless of course there are loads of available spots and not enough cripples to use them.” The statute is quite unequivocal and parking there is forbidden at all times, by anyone not properly displaying a placard. I’m seriously at a loss as to why that’s difficult for people to comprehend. (Of course, that’s because it’s not difficult for them to comprehend, it’s just that they are willing to excuse and make apologies for anything and everything Chris Collins does).

The photo shows at least 4 more handicapped parking spaces, 2 of which are clearly vacant. You have not demonstrated any harm to any individual, only extremely weak speculation.

The statute doesn’t say “able-bodied people may not park in handicapped spots, unless of course there are loads of available spots and not enough cripples to use them.”

Perhaps you should have prefaced your remarks with a disclaimer that you are a rabid supporter of Mark Polancarz.

I don’t know any Mark Polancarz. I do know Mark Poloncarz, the comptroller of Erie County, whom I obviously do support. I will not and do not have to “preface” any “remarks” with disclaimers for your benefit. Setting that aside, of course, whether I support Mark Poloncarz or not doesn’t negate the fact that Chris Collins is an arrogant motherfucker who knowingly parks his able-bodied fucking ass in spots reserved for the handicapped.

At least make a case for him on the merits instead of trashing his opponent with BS. Your blog post is about as credible as elements of the Corwin campaign, which you rightfully and virulently derided.

And, as usual, no one gives a shit what the serial failures of the Ostrowskiite faction of WNY’s political world think about anything, as ably shown by the results for Mssrs. DiPietro and Davis.

If you think it’s ok for an able-bodied person to park in a spot reserved for the handicapped – regardless of the location or circumstances (which have been established here to indicate that Collins’ parking choice was deliberately made to minimize the distance he would have to walk to the parade staging area) – then you’ve knowingly separated yourself from normal, civilized society.

@Mike- So by your logic I can park in a handicapped parking space anytime as long as there are more available for those with the legal right to park there. Maybe you should test your theory and see if the police accept your premise.

Unless I am mistaken, that Enclave is a government vehicle. I understand that he is allowed to use it for campaign purposes, but if he is as serious as he says he is about respecting taxpayer dollars, than why not use his own car when he’s campaigning? Also, let me get this straight, Collins uses a government vehicle, to park his car on a handicapped space i.e. breaking the law. Nice. Even if it isnt a government car, the County freaking Executive should be more astute about following the law as to not delibrately break it. Unbelievable.

Joe – A campaign staffer, volunteer or family member could have done the drop off/pick up, would have been very easy and would have saved him the aggravation of having another highly read Pundit post tearing him to shreds. You cannot cure stupiid.

So he was wrong for parking there! But imo this is a useless expenditure of time and energy. Just like the conservatives that are expending resources on whether the president’s birt certificate is real! WHO CARES? If the people that waste their energy on these kinds of issues would set about to solve the REAL problems in this country, we would all be better off!

It doesn’t matter whether someone was. What matters is the fact that an able-bodied person used a handicapped spot. Those spots are reserved for people with severe disabilities, and just because there’s a free one available doesn’t mean the able-bodied get to use it. Ever. Under any circumstances. No excuses, no exceptions.

And it’s quite obviously not like speeding down the 33 because the purpose of speed limits is to maintain a reasonable traffic flow and promote safety. The purpose of handicapped spots is to ensure that people with severe disabilities have (a) enough room to get in and out of their vehicles; and (b) don’t have to be burdened with a long walk from that vehicle to wherever they’re going. You’ve had several commenters who were there, as well as my update to the post, explain where parade marchers were supposed to park. “The handicapped spots at the school” wasn’t one of the choices.

Chris Collins called Shelly Silver the anti-Christ.
Chris Collins invited Laura Montante Zaepfel to give him a lap dance at the State of the State.
Chris Collins bullied parade organizers into letting him march in the parade in front of the flag and veterans and firefighters, under the idiotic explanation that he takes up a lot of time whilst marching.
Chris Collins parks his vehicle in spots marked for handicapped citizens.
Chris Collins raised your taxes.
Chris Collins has gone out of his way to affect services that benefit the poor, but does nothing to change services that benefit his natural constituency (e.g., golfers).

I say this is not a useless exercise – it demonstrates the type of person CC is – one who could give a shit about following the rules that everyone else have to abide by. I’ve seen people park in handicapped spots at the supermarket, etc. and have called the police. I think nothing is more detestable than seeing a non-handicapped person park in a handicapped spot just to save some time. The fact that it’s the CEO of the County blows my mind. He’s an arrogant SOB who will not get my vote come November. Whether someone was “harmed” or whether the lot was closed misses the point.

Seems to me if this was just a negligible thing there wouldn’t be so much debate between people here defending Collins and people defending the law.

In my years of being employed, the best bosses I’ve had were the detail guys. Not micro-managers, but people who will tell you to your face that if you don’t do the little things right (especially when no one is watching you) then you can’t expect to earn any respect.

e.g. If you don’t bother to shine your boots, why should I let you run a shift?

That’s what I see here. Collins is a guy who doesn’t give a damn about the little things. As a matter of fact, he seemingly scoffs at the little things like parking where you’re supposed to and letting the flag proceed you in an Independence Day parade. The little things add up and the sum is character, plain and simple.

Since military people are never disabled during combat, it’s not like any of them would ever need to utilize a handicapped-parking space at a parade in which military veterans are marching and participating. This is clearly why CC parked there. He used his “Six Sigma Blackbelt” to figure it out. We are all dumb-fucks and he is a super-genius. HAIL CAESAR!! THIS IS MY COUNTY!!

The apologists couldn’t be more wrong. This is exactly the kind of thing that gets politicians beaten. Most voters don’t know, or especially care, whether Collins is doing ‘a good job,’ whatever that means. They want to feel good about the person they’re voting for, or at least less bad than they feel about the other guy. And symbolic moments like this are more about emotion than logic. Spalding Lake may be an affluent base, but it isn’t a numerically large one. Collins won last time because enough non-rich people got all giddy about the ‘run government like a business’ nonsense (and because the Democrats couldn’t have run a weaker candidate if Collins himself had chosen one). A lot of those same voters will respond at least as eagerly to “Chris Collins thinks he’s better than you,” a campaign theme with enough evidence for a lengthy series of Poloncarz ads.

Um…eve if the time says 4:29pm…not sure that would jive with teh shadow created by teh vehicle…maybe the pic was uploaded at 4:29pm or the camera timer is off. (I know mine is..and I can’t seem to figure it out). BUT the shadows would indicate the phoo was taken sometime right aroudn mid day since the shadow is almost directy overhead with teh vehicle…perhaps more evidence that the photo was taken midday, when th parade woudl have been ongoing. just a thought

It doesn’t matter whether someone was. What matters is the fact that an able-bodied person used a handicapped spot. Those spots are reserved for people with severe disabilities, and just because there’s a free one available doesn’t mean the able-bodied get to use it. Ever. Under any circumstances. No excuses, no exceptions. ”

I gotta say it. I have never seen anyone’s head so far up the democratic donkeys ass.

This thread is about the fact that Chris Collins is that non-handicapped asshole who parks in the handicapped spot.

And make no mistake, Tony – if I was there and I saw it, I would have called the cops, and I would have stood there and waited for his sorry ass to get back into that car and asked him why the fuck he was parking in a handicapped spot, and my video camera on my phone would have been rolling.

The whole thread is “stupid” if you think there’s nothing wrong with people who aren’t disabled parking in handicapped spots. There’s a load of people in this thread who agree with that sentiment. I don’t. In fact, I think they’re assholes, too.

And enter the amateur detectives. Tell me Melania, what is the exact angle of the sun in relation to Newstead, NY at 4:29pm on the 4th of July in a non-Leap Year? Do you work at NASA or are you just a wizard?

I may be just as much of an asshole as Collins, because I don’t always blindly follow the law. If there’s not a single goddamn car anywhere in a lot and you park in a handicapped spot, it truly is a victimless crime. It simply doesn’t matter. No one is affected.

Set the law aside for a moment. (Yeah, I know, I know.) There is no proof that anyone was harmed by his parking there. In fact, the emptiness off to the side seems to indicate no one was. The default position is that no one was harmed. So, my take, it’s victimless, and no big deal. He may be an asshole, but you’d be just as much of an asshole for calling the cops for something like that.

If someone were actually harmed by his action, sure, yeah, call the cops. Who the fuck does he think he is taking a spot away from a disabled person?

Kramer: I got news for you: handicapped people, they don’t even want to park there! They wanna be treated just like anybody else! That’s why, those spaces are always empty.
George: He’s right! It’s the same thing with the feminists. You know, they want everything to be equal, everything! But when the check comes, where are they?

Greg – You and your buddies are just proving the point that Collins nor you think that Collins needs to follow the law. Yes, it’s true that people break unjust and dumb laws, but I would hope that most reasonable people would understand that a handicapped parking space is reserved for handicapped people, i.e. the need for a permit. This was either a stunning display of arrogance on his park or a stunning display of stupidity on his campaigns part, or both.

FWIW I am no big fan of Mark Poloncarz. Alan and Chris Charvella know my identity, they respect my wish to remain anonymous as it fits within the rules of this site but without telling you who I am they will tell you that I am no ‘rabid’ Poloncarz supporter, I was hoping that Dennis Gabryszak would enter the race actually. Collins made a bad move and it backfired, talk about a bad news week.

Greg – You’re right, the world is not black and white, I have long made the argument with Pundit and with Chris that the people that they find ‘detestable’ aren’t what they think of them as because I find at times that they try to discuss politics in absolutes. That being said, parking in a handicapped spot when you are not handicapped regardless of lot status is a jerk move. The law defines it and it is defined for good reason, so someone who is handicapped can have immediate access to a building, any building, should they need medical care. This was not a ‘dumb’ law, this is something that was well thought out and has a needed purpose. Also, the fact that there hasn’t been so much as an apology from Collins or even an agreement that he was wrong really is not serving him well.

So until someone else needs the spot, its not a crime? That’s one of the stupidest goddamned excuses I’ve ever heard. “The apartment was empty, your honor. I should be able to live there until and unless someone wants to pay rent for it.”

Until someone determines that handicapped people actually had access to the spot, it remains a victimless crime. If that is proven, then I will agree that parking there was deplorable and merited some form of punishment.

I think all drunk drivers should, when pulled over, maintain that to that point they’ve been committing a “victimless crime”. After all, they have no victims until they hit somebody! What a stupid argument. Well, that’s wrong, actually — it’s not even an argument. It’s just the knee-jerk “Whatever the government wants must be bad, boogah boogah!” crap that the libertarian-in-residence posts in each and every comments thread here, no matter what Alan’s actual post is about.

As far as Collins’s parking goes, I’d almost buy the “If the parking lot’s closed, it’s OK” notion, except…if the lot is closed, then he pretty much has his pick of the entire lot to park in, right? So why use the disabled spaces? He wants to walk in a parade, but he doesn’t want to walk an extra twenty or thirty feet?

Mr. Effin Magoo, does it make you feel good to erroneously paraphrase what I said? I didn’t making any claims about no one else needing the spot, I questioned whether or not it was available. There is a huge difference between the two.

I might as well address the obtuse apartment and corvette analogies too. They don’t apply. Both of those analogies involve the violation of someone’s property rights and qualify as a “real” crime.

Out of curiosity I’ll ask the following: 1. Did photographed vehicle have a handicapped tag on the rearview mirror?(Note that no photo angle above shows that) 2. Was Collins with someone who may have needed such a spot? I realize what the answer to these questions probably are. But there’s a lot of flawed analogies and theories in the comments here, so I just added mine.

Let Collins park in Fire Lanes too. If there isnt a fire, then its fine. Maybe he could ride Metro rail without a ticket. After all, the train was running anyway. He’s not hurting anyone. Maybe can go in an out door or into a restricted area of the Niagara Falls base. You know what, let him move in to a closed library. I mean, they are just sitting there.

all of you who are defending this asshole must be ‘Friends for Collins” phonebankers. He’s a arrogant self centered dick. His way or the highway which has cost us county tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars. I guess that doesn’t mean that much to you King Collins ass kissers. Drink some more of his kool-aid.Breaking the law is breaking the law, plain and simple.I’m getting sick and tired of his bullying tactics. He can buy the Legislature but he can’t buy my vote.

It’s hard to see how anyone with even the tiniest sense of right and wrong can possibly defend such titanic colossal douchebaggery. You have to be part of his fiefdom to defend this degree of indefensible.

What the fuck, people? I can’t stand Collins. But don’t cast me out as part of his fiefdom because I am willing and able to think for myself. Right and wrong are not black and white. Rather, there are many shades of gray.

And, oh yeah, I agree with Mike (what is the world coming to?) — all your analogies are the suck.

And don’t any one of you ever drive 56 mph on the 33 again. Breaking the law _is_ breaking the law.

Yes, but when I drive 56 MPH on the 33, I’m not preventing anyone else from driving 56 on the 33. Also, I’m not legally entitled to drive 56 on the 33 because I have applied for & received special permission to do so.

It doesn’t affect illegality but regarding whether it was arrogant-assholeness, can we be totally sure it was deliberate rather than an oversight?

The top photo shows three spaces to the left each have a handicap parking sign on a post at a driver’s eye level. It doesn’t look like the space he parked in has that sign in front of it as the others do in that row.
The space does have a big yellow (not blue) marker on the surface. He should’ve seen and obeyed it, so he broke the law and deserved a ticket.

If in bright sun, in a hurry to arrive at the parade, is it possible he saw the three sign posts to the left as he drove up, and to the right saw a space without that sign, then from the elevated minivan didn’t notice the yellow surface marking?

Once even Starbuck when in a hurry accidentally parked in a very poorly (worse than this one) marked handicap spot. I received a very expensive ticket which I didn’t contest because there was a marking although it wasn’t obvious at all.